Inflatable ball



April 20, 1937. ll HESPER 2,078,141

INFLATABLE BALL Filed Feb. 17, 1936 Patented Apr. 20, 1937 INFLATABLE BALL Jos- Hesper, Cordba, Argentina, assignor to John Sheahin, Washington, D. C.

Application February 17, 1936, Serial. No. 64,390

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-65) The present invention relates to new and useful: improvements in inflatable balls suchA as soccer balls; basket-balls or the like, and more particularly to an inflatable ball, the outer periph- A eral` surface of which is. entirely free from any projecting portions.

An; object of the invention is to provide an inflatable ball wherein the edge portions of the casing adjacent a slit therethrough are` laced to- Vgether for closing the slit in such a manner that the lacing is disposed wholly within the outer peripheral surface of the ball.

A further object of the invention is to provide an inatable ball oi the above type wherein the I5 lacing serves to iiX the valve and bladder in a predetermined set position.

A` further object of the invention is toprovide an inflatable ball of the above type wherein the casing is provided with openings remoly spaced from the slit therethrough so that the edge portions of the casing adjacent the slit may be internally laced together by external minipulation of the lacing.

The above and other objects of the invention g5 will in part be obvious and will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a View showing the inflated ball.

Fig. 2, is a fragmentary sectional View of the ball through the slit in the casing.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged bottom view" in` section of Fig. 2.

4 is an enlarged fragmentary View showing the manner in which the bladder and valve are properly located with respect to the casing.

l'igf.` 5 isa diagrammatic view illustrating the beginning of the stitch formation.

Fig. 6` is a View similarto Fig. 5` showing the completion ofthe first stitch and the beginning off the succeeding stitch.

, 7 is a sectional View through the end of the closed seam showing the beginning of the final' knot formation.

Figi; 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the final knot.

'I'he invention relates generally to inilatable balls of the type which includes a casing of leather or other wear-resisting material and an inflatable bladder located within the casing. Basket-balls, footballs, soccer balls and hand balls are illustrations of this general type and, while a spherical ball, such as a soccer ball or basket-ball, isshown in Fig. l of the accompanying drawing, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is applicable to other types of inflatable balls of this general class.

As shown in Fig. 1` for purposes of illustration, the ball includes a casing or cover I0y consisting of several leather sections II which are joined together in any suitable manner. As shown in the accompanying drawing, adjacent pairs of leather sections II., IIa are left unattached for a short distance so as to afford a slit I2 through which a bladder I3 may be inserted. It is to be understood, of course, that the slit I2 may be placed at any desired location. At one end of the slit I2, the adjacent edges of the casing arel cut away to` provide an opening I4. The remaining edge portions I5, Iii` oi the casing adjacent the'slit I2 are inturned as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 7 and 8. These inturned portions I5, I6 are provided with spaced apertures I'l, I8, I'Ia and I 8a respectively. Remotely spaced from the opposite end of the slit I2', that is, from the` end thereof remote from the opening I4, are openings IB, 2li through the sections II, IIa respectively of the casing.

The bladder I3 is provided with a fabric tongue or flap 2| which is. of a general triangular shape` and which is adaptedl tor cover the openings I9 and 20 in the casing. The tongue 2| is provided with a recess portionV 212 which is adapted to re ceive the extremeedges of the inturned edge portions I5, I6` when they have been laced together. Secured between the tongue 2| andthe body portion of the bladder I3 is a Valve 23, preferably of rubber or other resilient material. An opening 2,4. in the recess portion of the tongue 2-I. is disposed directly above the valve 23V so as to permit the bladder to be inflated. The details of the valve 23. form no part of the present invention but it includes an integral rubber partition 25 and a libre disc 26 between which is a lateral opening 2'I whichcommunicates with the interior of the bladder. A metal sleeve 3i is disposed around that portion of the Valve which includes the flexible partition 25 so as to strengthen the same.

In assembling the ball, the bladder I3 with the tongue 2| and valve 23 attached thereto, are inserted through the slit I 2 in the casing I0. The opening 24 in the tongue 2| is positioned in alignment with the opening I4 at the end of the slit I2 so that a pump may be employed for inflating the ball. A sharp-pointed tubular member having a lateral opening therein is adapted to be inserted through the opening 24 in the tongue 2|y and thence through the flexible partition 25 in the valve. The pump may be attached to the .Cil

free end of the tubular member so as to inflate the bladder. When the tubular member is withdrawn, the inherent resiliency of the partition 25 will close the valve and prevent air from escaping. The wider end of the tongue 2I is disposed toward the opposite end of the slit so that it will be disposed between the bladder I3 and the openings I9, 20 in the sections II, I Ia respectively of the casing I0. The tongue 2| will thus prevent any extraneous material from contacting with the bladder and possibly damaging or puncturing the same. V

A lacing or cord 28 extends through the tongue 2l and beneath the recessed portion 22 thereof and through the first pair of apertures I'I, I8 in the inturned edge portions I5, I6 respectively of the casing and then through the remaining ap-V ertures in the edge portions so as to maintain the said edge portions in contact with one another, thus closing the slit I2. The ends of the lacing 28 are knotted beneath the last pair of apertures I'If, If in the edge portions noted to maintain the slit closed. When the lacing is thus completed and drawn tight, the tongue 2I will be positioned so that the opening 24 therein is disposed directly below the opening I4 in the casing in order to permit inflation of the bladder I3. It is to be noted that the lacing 28 is disposed wholly within the outer peripheral surface of the casing and that the lacing forms a substantial continuation of the line along which the leather sections II, IIa are joined, thus affording a substantially invisible seam.

The needle 29 is then passed through the aperture I'I in the edge portion I5 and drawn. 'Ihe needle 29 is then passed successively through the aperture I8V in the edge portion IB between the tongue 2l and the casing IIJ and out through the opening 29 in the casing. The needle 30 is passed through the aperture I8 in the edge portion I6 and drawn, and then the needle 30 is passed through the aperture I'I in the edge portion I5 between the tongue 2| in the casing I0 and out through the opening I9 in the casing. Thus, it will be seen that the needles 29 and 30 are passed through the edge portions I5 and I6 in opposite directions. Ihe lacing 28 may now be externally manipulated and drawn tight so as to draw the adjacent faces of the edge portions I5 and I6 into contact with one another with the apertures I'I and I8 thereof substantially registering with one another, as shown in Figs. 6 and '7. This tightening of the lacing 28 draws the tongue 2| of the bladder into contact with the casing and definitely locates the opening 2d in the recessed portion of the tongue at a predetermined set position, that is, directly beneath the opening I4 in the casing so that the valve is accessible for inflation or deflation from without the casing.

The needle 29 is now passed back through the opening 29 in the casing between the tongue 2I and the casing and passed through the aperture Ia in the inturned portion I6, and drawn. The needle 29 is then passed through the aperture Ila in the inturned edge portion I5 between the tongue 2I and the casing out through the opening I9 in the casing. The needle 3U is passed back through the opening I9 between the tongue 2l in the casing and through the aperture IIa in the edge portion I5 and drawn. This needle 30 is then passed through the aperture I8a in the edge portion I5 between the tongue and the casing and out through the opening 20 in the casing, as shown in Fig. 6. The lacing 28 may now again be drawn tight from outside of the casing so as to set the second stitch and cause the faces of the inturned A portions I5, I6 to contact with one another and close the slit I2. This same procedure of lacing together the inturned portions I5, I6 is followed in the same manner to the end of the slit I 2.

In passing the lace or lacing 28 through the last pair of apertures Ilf, I8f in the inturned edge portions I5, I6 respectively, the needle 29 is passed into the opening I9 in the casing and successively through the apertures I'If, I 8f and out through the opening 29 in the casing. Similarly the needle 39 is passed into the casing through the opening 29 and. successively through the apertures If, I'If and out through the opening I9 in the casing. This final passage of the needles through the openings in the casing and the last two openings in the inturned edge portions is made possible by the location of the openings I9, 28 which are in substantial alignment with the apertures I "If, I 8f in the inturned edge portions I5, I6 respectively. After the lacing 23 is passed through the apertures If, I 8f in the edge portions, the needle 29 is passed back into the casing through the opening 29 and under the edge portions I5, I6 and then to the outside of the casing through the opening I9 therein so that both needles 29, 39 are now disposed on the same side of the slit. The ends of the lacing 2S are now interlooped, as at A, and the needle 29 is then passed to the inside of the casing through the opening I9 beneath the free edges of the inturned portions I 5, IS and then to the outside of the casing through the opening 20, as shown in Fig. 8. The ends of the lacing 28 may now be pulled so as to tighten the knot or interlocking portion A of the lacing against the edges of the inturned portions I5, I 6. This knot formation may be repeated so as to doubly knot the ends of the lacing together within the casing and beneath the edges of the inturned portions I5, I5. The lacing may now be cut oif at the openings I9 and 29 so that they will not extend outside of the casing.

It is to be clearly understood that various methods of lacing the inturned portions of the casing adjacent the slit therethrough may be employed, so long as the lacing and the knotted end of the lacing are disposed Within the casing and wholly beneath the outer peripheral surface thereof so that no projections of any kind will mar the external surface of the ball.

I claim:

An inflatable ball comprising a bladder having a valve for permitting inflation thereof and a tongue provided with an opening in line with said valve, a casing having an elongated slit through which the bladder and tongue may be inserted, the edge portions of said casing adjacent said slit being inturned and being cut away at one end of said slit to provide an aperture with which the opening in said tongue is disposed in alignment, and stitching beginning at a point immediately adjacent the aperture in said casing and formed by a lacing passing through said tongue and thereafter through the said inturned edge portions at the point immediately adjacent the cut away portions therein for immediately positioning and holding said valve and said tongue in proper alignment with the aperture in said casing and for drawing said inturned edge portions into contact with one another whereby to close the slit in the casing with the lacing disposed Wholly within the outer peripheral surface of the ball.

JOS HESPER.

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